Mike and I spend the rest of the morning with Steve Murray, owner of Riverkeep Lodge, while Jim and John fish with Wilson, who has been the head guide for 15 years. His knowledge of the area is equally matched by his good humor and wit, and throughout the day, whenever Wilson is within earshot, we can hear laughing. Prospecting with drys, we catch an occasional trout, but no one lays into a really big fish. Still, with each colorful brookie, Steve shakes his head in wonder. Even for him, this place takes getting used to.

The brook trout jumps clear out of the river for the size 12 Stimulator skating across the surface. My line goes taut, and soon I bring the trout to hand—a 17-inch beauty that’s thick enough to go two pounds. Although it’s small for this otherworld called Labrador, it’s also the first trout of a weeklong trip, and since I hail from the Land of the 10-Inch Trophy Squaretail (aka Vermont) I’m not yet acclimated to the absurdity of the place. I consider the trout a moment longer, and then slip it back into the water. You’d better bring a pretty big net when you head into the Labrador bush in search of native brook trout.

As I walked up to the office yesterday morning, I saw the guys from the rod shop carting long cardboard boxes to the picnic table on the lawn. I knew that this could mean only one thing: a morning rod-testing session.

The product developers, others in the Rod & Tackle division, and the folks who actually. . .

Alec Kauffman shows off a Rogue River steelhead, while his younger brother mugs for the camera. Hey, if you don’t have a fish of your own, it’s your only option, right? photo by Zac Kauffman

EDITOR’S NOTE: Zac Kauffman—the Outdoor Operations Manager for Morrison’s Rogue River Lodge in Merlin, Oregon—sent us this story by his 14-year-old son Alec, who had written it for Ms. Coleman’s 6th period Language Arts class. As Zac wrote, “It does seem to capture the child’s excitement about fishing.” We couldn’t agree more.

Saltwater action on the Atlantic Coast is heating up, so it’s time to stock up on baitfish patterns for stripers, bluefish, and false albacore. Perhaps the most famous fly for the salt is the Clouser Deep Minnow–created by Susquehanna River icon Bob Clouser, named by Lefty Kreh, and mutated into hundreds of forms by other tiers. This version, by New Jersey angler and tier Brad Buzzi, is fairly beefy and durable and should work for. . .